There have been a couple of significant developments in the US this week involving some forklift big names. In one development, Crown will switch suppliers of its Hamech-brand forklifts from Komatsu to Clark. Meanwhile, Swedish manufacturer Atlet will pull out of the North American market after almost a quarter of a century of operation. The moves are all market corrections, with the big companies responding to changing conditions. Meanwhile, in Europe, Linde Material Handling has announced plans to take over its Russian dealership as part of its moves to expand operations in the region. Rival Yale is also eyeing growth in Eastern Europe, appointing new dealers in Hungary and Ukraine.
All of these developments are reported in this week’s busy newsletter.

Inro sells automation to AustraliaAustralasia NewsAuckland New Zealand automation technology specialist Inro has successfully automated a BT 140 reach truck and is currently automating a BT 160 for delivery to a major third-party logistics provider in... [more]

Count-down to forklift finalAustralasia NewsSydney, New South Wales The grand final of the national forklift championship is less than a month away, with almost all in-house heats completed.
Organiser Australian Warehousing Association says 2011 has seen more... [more]

Logistics conference raises money for helicopter heroesAustralasia NewsBrisbane, Queensland The Supply Chain and Logistics industry has raised around $20,000 for EMQ (Emergency Management Queensland) Helicopter Services which rescued over 40 people in the January Queensland floods.
Attendees at... [more]

Global News

FROM THE FORKLIFTACTION.COM EDITORIAL TEAM

Atlet withdraws from North AmericaUNITED STATES Atlet AB’s effort to sell European-style specialised materials handling equipment and methods in North America is turning a corner.
“After almost 25 years of sales and support activity in... [more]

Yale expands in Eastern EuropeUNITED KINGDOM Yale Europe Materials Handling has appointed new dealers to expand its distribution footprint in Eastern Europe.
Horoszcoop Anyagmozgatás Kft, a former Toyota dealer, has become the new Yale dealer... [more]

Linde boosts presence in Eastern EuropeRUSSIA Linde Material Handling GmbH wants to acquire the business of its Russian dealership, Liftec, as part of its plans to expand its Russian and central Asian sales and service networks.... [more]

Cargotec invests in technology centreFINLAND Cargotec is investing about EUR35 million (USD46.6 million) in building a technology and competency centre in Tampere, Finland.
CEO Mikael Mäkinen says Tampere will serve as “the spearhead for... [more]

Shocking statistics revealedUNITED KINGDOM Over 1.2 million workers in the UK could be at risk of a serious accident due to inadequate training in working near forklifts.
The findings were revealed by the... [more]

Recycler saves money with SpeedshieldUNITED KINGDOM Recycling and waste management firm Viridor will save about GBP220,000 (USD340,000) over the next five years after installing Briggs Equipment’s Speedshield system.
Skelmersdale-based Viridor wanted to reduce wear and... [more]

Graham, Boeing win at Washington rodeoUNITED STATES Top individual operator Doug Graham led Boeing Co to a team victory in the 14th annual Washington State forklift rodeo.
“We had a great event,” says Mark Ribich, a... [more]

Robust and affordable multipurpose jib attachmentsForklift Traders offer a comprehensive range of multipurpose jib attachments for your forklift at affordable prices. The attachments distributed by Forklift Traders have a long standing reputation for being robust and enduring. [more]